UNB, Dhaka :The 7th death anniversary of M Saifur Rahman, the country’s longest-serving finance minister, will be observed on Monday with various programmes.On September 5, 2009, Saifur, also a former BNP standing committee member, died in a road accident on Dhaka-Sylhet highway at the age of 77. Central and local BNP and Durre Samad Rahman and Saifur Rahman Foundation have chalked out various programmes, including discussions and milad mahfil, to observe the day with due respect. As part of the programme, BNP will hold a milad and doa mahfil at its Nayapaltan central office after Asr prayers. BNP leaders and activists will place wreaths at the grave of Saifur at Moulvibazar in the morning. They will also offer fateha there and pray for the salvation of his departed soul. Moulvibazar district unit BNP will arrange a milad and discussion in the afternoon.On the occasion, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir issued a message paying tribute to the departed soul of Saifur. The BNP secretary general recalled the late finance minister’s contributions to different democratic and rights movement of the nation, and the country’s economic progress.He also reminded with gratitude Saifur’s role in making BNP a stronger party as a close associate of its founder Ziaur Rahman. Born at Baharmardan village in Moulvibazar Sadar upazila on October 6, 1932, Saifur was with BNP since its inception as an adviser to late president Ziaur Rahman. He went on to serve in Zia’s cabinet as the first commerce minister and then the finance minister. A chartered accountant-turned politician, Saifur had a unique record of preparing 12 budgets since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. He was elected to parliament for four times. Saifur took part in the 1952 Language Movement and was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2005.During his career, Saifur had held different important posts in the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank and IFAD.
